UN to nail Syria over Hariri death

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UNITED Nations investigators will next month directly implicate
the Syrian Government in the assassination of Rafik Hariri, the
former Lebanese prime minister.

According to a source close to the investigation, evidence
pointing to Syrian involvement in the murder has grown  in
particular, from a Syrian defector who claims he was in the room
when Mr Hariri's assassination was discussed. "The defector is
singing," the source said.

Evidence recovered by a team of six British divers off the
Beirut coast, where Mr Hariri's motorcade was blown apart, has also
played an important part in the inquiry, the source added. The
scene of the explosion was quickly covered over after the murder
and much evidence lost, but the divers recovered human remains and
car and truck parts from the sea floor.

Detlev Mehlis, who is leading the UN inquiry, is scheduled to
present his final report on October 25.

Four Lebanese generals have been arrested so far. But Mr Mehlis,
a former German state prosecutor, will also name several
influential figures in the regime as suspects in the killing, the
source said.

The report will almost certainly lead to a showdown between the
UN Security Council and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The
Security Council is likely to demand that Mr Assad, whose hold on
government is fragile, hand over Syrians accused of
involvement.

Mr Assad is virtually isolated internationally, with little
support even among his fellow Arab leaders.

In the months before his death, Mr Hariri angered the Syrian
Government by working to end two decades of Syrian occupation. In
the face of international pressure Syria pulled out its troops
after his death.

Mr Mehlis, who is described by colleagues at the UN as thorough,
had been due to hand his report to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan
this month but postponed it so he could visit Damascus to speak to
witnesses. He is expected to begin writing the final report early
next month.

This week Mr Mehlis visited Damascus where, according to a
diplomatic source in Beirut, he interviewed Rustom Ghazali, Syria's
former intelligence chief in Lebanon, and Walid al-Mouallem, the
Deputy Foreign Minister, who has been given responsibility for
Lebanese affairs since Mr Hariri's death.

A team of four investigators has been sent to Damascus to
interview Asef Shawkat, the head of military intelligence and Mr
Assad's brother-in-law, and nine other Syrian officials. All those
being interviewed were classified as "witnesses", the diplomatic
source said.

Much rests now on how high up the Syrian regime the
investigation reaches. The source close to the investigation said
he did not know if there was any evidence to suggest Mr Assad had
knowledge of the assassination plot.

Most of the important decisions in the running of the country
are made by a small group around the President, including his
brother Mahir, who heads the Republican Guard, and Mr Shawkat.

Last week Lebanon's central bank agreed to waive strict secrecy
laws to allow the investigators to examine the bank accounts of
senior Syrian security officers. Bank accounts used by the men's
wives and families will also be inspected.